The Caribbean island of Dominica bills itself as the nature island. There’s certainly a lot of green. There is scuba diving and snorkeling along the champagne reef, where bubbles emerge naturally and tickle your skin. There is a mountainous national park that is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. And there are natural hot springs to enjoy while relaxing in the hot water. The island has been the home to more than one Hollywood movie.

The island of Dominica has historically not had the same economic opportunities as other Caribbean islands and is considered “underdeveloped.” The island is working hard to develop sustainable tourism for economic development, focusing on hiking and scuba diving. However, as we discovered, the development of tourist infrastructure (particularly for cruise ship visitors) has put a strain on the island’s finite resources. Dominica is an island we’d like to revisit as the island continues developing.

We’d heard a lot about the vast natural beauty of Dominica and were really looking forward to visiting this Caribbean island. We’d heard great things about Titou Gorge, snorkeling on the Champagne Reef and Trafalgar Falls. But, as we discovered on our Dominica tour, the island has a long way to go. We were definitely